''Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child'' is the debut album by American metalcore band Norma Jean, released on August 13, 2002 by

Solid State Records Solid State Records is a Christian metalcore record label, an imprint of Tooth & Nail Records. Unlike Tooth & Nail, Solid State signs hardcore punk and heavy metal bands. Like Tooth & Nail, Solid State is primarily a Christian label. However, ...

. It is the band's only album to feature bassist Joshua Doolittle and vocalist

Josh Scogin Josh Scogin (born July 17, 1981) is an American musician, and is currently the vocalist and guitarist for '68. He is also known for being the vocalist for The Chariot, and former vocalist of Norma Jean and Luti-Kriss. Scogin has recorded so ...

, the latter of whom later became the lead vocalist of The Chariot.

Background

The band previously released a studio album, ''

Throwing Myself ''Throwing Myself'' is the only studio album by Luti-Kriss. It was released in 2001 on Solid State Records. After the release of this album, the band changed their name to Norma Jean. Track listing Personnel ;Luti-Kriss * Josh Scogin &ndash ...

'', under the name of

Luti-Kriss Norma Jean (formerly known as Luti-Kriss) is an American metalcore band from Douglasville, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Since their inception in 1997, numerous lineup changes have left the band with no original members. To date, Norma Jean ha ...

. The band changed their name due to keyboardist Mick Bailey and bassist Josh Swafford leaving and also wanted to go in a different musical direction (the band played a nu metal/ metalcore hybrid). Older recordings of the songs "I Used to Hate Cellphones, But Now I Hate Car Accidents" and "The Shotgun Message" were released on a split album with

mewithoutYou MewithoutYou, usually styled as mewithoutYou, was an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band consisted of Aaron Weiss (vocals), Michael Weiss and Brandon Beaver (guitars), Greg Jehanian (bass guitar), and Rickie Mazzotta ...

. The entire album was recorded live with very few

overdub Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more av ...

s. The booklet insert claims that the CD was produced entirely without the use of computers. On the Limited Edition, the song "Pretty Soon, I Don't Know What, but Something Is Going to Happen" features a sample from the 1998 film '' π'', directed by

Darren Aronofsky Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films are noted for their surrealistic, melodramatic, and sometimes disturbing elements, often in the form of psychological fiction. Arono ...

. The song "Face:Face" draws inspiration from

Proverbs A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic language. A proverbial phrase or a proverbia ...

30.

Release

The album was released on August 13, 2002 through

. Music videos were released for the songs "Memphis Will Be Laid to Waste" and "Face:Face". In the music video for "Memphis Will Be Laid to Waste" it featured touring vocalist Brad Norris and new bassist Jake Schultz instead of Scogin and Doolittle, who had already left the band. Aaron Weiss of

appears on the track "Memphis Will be Laid to Waste" courtesy of

Tooth & Nail Records Tooth & Nail Records is a Christian rock record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington where it is situated today. It is home to many well-known musical acts, including Undero ...

. "Memphis..." had a music video featuring a curious story concept featuring subtitles. It aired on ''

Uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

'' and '' Headbangers Ball'' upon its release.

Reception

Since its release, ''Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child'' has received critical acclaim and is often regarded a landmark in the metalcore genre. Jason D. Taylor of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars. Taylor praised the band's "blast of macabre hardcore/metal" and the production by Adam Dutkiewicz. Mike Rimmer of '' Cross Rhythms'' gave the album 9 out of 10, saying it was "an hour of unrelenting guitar noise". Greg Pratt of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' compared Norma Jean to the likes of Zao and

Living Sacrifice Living Sacrifice is an American Christian metal band formed in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1989. The band has released eight studio albums, out of which the first three were recorded under R.E.X. Records with their original vocalist Darren Johns ...

, while praising the

progressive metalcore Progressive metalcore (also called technical metalcore or ambient metalcore) is a fusion of progressive metal and metalcore characterized by highly technical lead guitar, "atmospheric" elements, and complex instrumentation. Some notable pract ...

sound of the album and said the album is a must for anyone who is a fan of heavy music. Jesusfreakhideout's Andy Kelly said the album signaled "the hardcore revolution" with a "technically and musically astounding offering". Kelly concluded his review by stating "hardcore just does not get much better than this."

Track listing

Personnel

;Norma Jean *

– Lead vocals * Christopher Day – Guitar * Scottie Henry – Guitar, backing vocals * Joshua Doolittle – Bass *

Daniel Davison Daniel Travis Davison (born January 28th, 1983) is an American musician, songwriter, artist, and filmmaker. He is also a co-founder and former drummer of the band Norma Jean and a former drummer of Underoath and Every Time I Die. Early life ...

– Drums ;Additional personnel * Produced by

Adam Dutkiewicz Adam Jonathan Dutkiewicz (born April 4, 1977) is an American musician, recording engineer, songwriter, and music producer, best known as the lead guitarist and backup vocalist from Massachusetts metalcore bands Killswitch Engage, Aftershock, and ...

and Norma Jean * Mastered by Alan Douches * Additional vocals, Piano, guitar, and tambourine by Aaron Johnathan Weiss * A&R by Roy Culver * Photography by David Stuart

Videos

#"Memphis Will Be Laid to Waste

#"Face:Face

References

{{Authority control Norma Jean (band) albums 2002 debut albums Solid State Records albums Albums produced by Adam Dutkiewicz